Lucky To Have
by slacktension
Summary: Bolin attempts to cheer up Asami-they need friends, not dates.


"You know, I think you and I have more stuff in common than you and Mako do."

She lifted her head, bright green eyes teary, water brimming at the edge of her eyelid and threatening to spill again. She had already rubbed off her makeup, causing her thick, long eyelashes to clump together with her tears, and he knew what that felt like. Cold wet eyelashes pressing against hot skin, tension creasing the skin between her thin eyebrows, corners of her mouth set to curl downwards. Her thick hair was completely down, as her hairclip had slipped from her black tresses, which he had picked up from the ground and now toyed with in his hands. She pulled her hair from her shoulders, shifting it like a solid mass rather than thousands of tiny strands to rest against her back.

Bolin nodded again decisively. "Yeah, we definitely do. You have green eyes, I have green eyes. You have black curly hair, and I," he tugged at the stubborn curl that always fell against his forehead, twirling it around his finger. "I have _a_ black curly hair. And we're both _insanely_ good looking."

Her entire face transformed, pale lips pulling into a smile and puffy eyes shutting, which did disturb those unshed tears to fall, but she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. A half-laugh escaped her, pushing out through her nose, but it was better than crying and Bolin took it as a victory.

"I know it's not my place to comment on your relationship with my brother," he said. "But I think right now, you need friends more than you need a boyfriend. He doesn't really know how to do both at the same time."

She sniffled and nodded. "Yeah. I think I got that."

"So if you need anybody to talk to, or to cheer you up, go ahead and find me," he said brightly. "Or Korra! She's good at this stuff too, even if she doesn't think so. I think you've got a lot in common with her, too."

"I think so too," she said thickly, and she rubbed at the corners of her eyes with her fingers, massaging away a headache that always came along after crying. "She's so nice. You know, the other night, I woke up screaming and she did some...healing thing. I could tell she was so tired but she went out of her way just to help _me_."

The disbelief in her voice, as if it were impossible for her to receive and need care, pulled at Bolin's heart. He stood and shifted to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and she instantly leaned in.

"You two _both_ need a break," he said quietly, and she sighed. "So tell you what? Anytime you can't go to Mako or Korra, just find me. I'll drop anything to help, alright? And I give really good hugs. Better than Mako's, I can assure you."

She laughed, her slender shoulders shaking beneath his thick arm, and even though she was taller and older than him, she was still small and delicate like a bird with hollow bones. Experimentally, he squeezed his arm and pulled her closer, eliciting another laugh, and he knew she was stronger than she looked. At least him and Korra could share that knowledge with Mako, who still saw his girlfriend as someone to just protect.

"I know Mako and Korra like to pretend they're fine all the time, but the truth is, we're all a little broken," he sighed and leaned into her, and she accepted his added weight. "And we need each other."

"You're the smarter brother."

He laughed, and pressed his cheek to the top of her head. The stray curls tickled his cheek and her hair smelled like jasmine, making his smile pull wider.

"I think we'll all figure out pretty soon that it's better to have friends than a date," he said, nodding, her hair rubbing against his face.

She laughed at the motion and dipped her head slightly to rest her chin on his shoulder. "We're all lucky to have you, Bolin."

At her words, his chest heaved with a heavy, thick sigh, heart twisting. It wasn't often that he felt appreciated, or cared about by anyone other than Mako. He tried so hard to make everybody happy, to keep his small group of friends together, because he collected them like wayward family members. For a while, all he had was Mako and Korra; he was proud to add on another.

"And we're just as lucky to have you, Asami."


End file.
